


Down Memory Lane

by atrillies



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 03:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10654143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atrillies/pseuds/atrillies
Summary: When Epsilon breaks, so does the world; and it restarts like a computer.





	1. A Moment Of Silence

There is a corridor near the hull of the spacecraft that is only accessible to authorised personnel, along that corridor are several doors each leading to different faculties, mainly involving the research and development of new technology. The third door on the left is bound with a series of complicated locks and alarms to protect what lies inside.

If it were possible to for anyone to enter they would find the room to be almost perfectly square and of a medium size. The room itself is impossibly dark and ominous as not a single shred of light reaches much further than the entryway; and while the room does have a set of lights hanging dutifully from the ceiling there is no visible switch that could turn them on. 

Surrounding the walls are various panels and screens, all making up one large computer; and towards one of the back corners is a metal table and a matching set of chairs each made from the same cold material. In the centre of the room there is a small pedestal connected to hundreds of wires, some well hidden and others fully visible which depressingly provides some of the only colour in the grey metallic room. 

It is early in the morning when the usually dark and empty room is alit with sparks, a chilling bone white colour. They burn at a small electrical structure resting on the pedestal and sear the wires binding it in place leaving the room veiled in a thin smoke. The overhead lights flicker momentarily in the same ivory colouring before bathing the area in a blinding glow. Two large doors open with a low mechanical hiss and two men enter; dressed in the same uniform grey as the room. The taller of the two is thin and lanky in build, with sickly pale skin and scruffy dark coloured hair whereas the shorter has a wider, sturdier build with darker skin and neater hair. Both walk confidently towards the flaring metal.

After a few moments of observation and careful consideration the shorter male walks towards the panelling and begins entering a series of commands, whilst the other stares intently at the pedestal and watches as the blinking light slowly calms to a soft but stable glow. A faint buzzing noise fills the area as the vents work to remove the smoke and the smell of burnt plastic and after a short period of time the room becomes still once again.

“There, It is done. I imagine it should wake shortly.” The dark skinned male speaks slowly and gently whilst moving back towards the rooms centre. “What do you wish to do with it Sir?”

The taller one smirks slightly, reaching for the readily cooling metal and removing it from its binding.  
“We’ll wait for it to recover, I want to make sure it is… properly acquainted.” His voice is sharp, thick and heavy.

Walking towards the wall the man picks up a small metal box and places the metal inside, before placing the box on the table. The other man follows after picking up a touch screen device, ready to take any relevant notes. 

The device again glows its artificial white before a shaky projection is formed. A small glowing figure around six inches tall, near identical to the tall male observing them. The figure appears disoriented and confused and the holographic light keeping them together flickers and shudders horribly for a significant amount of time before stabilising and looking around the room curiously. The shorter man excitedly writes notes into his tablet before speaking.

“Hello.” He speaks gently and with mild hesitation “Do you know where you are?”.

The small figure peers curiously yet warily at the man before shaking their head.  
“What about your name? Do you know your name?”

This time the figure pauses, frowns and goes to open their mouth before stopping and once again shaking their head. Before the man has a chance to reply the taller male interrupts. 

“You're name is Alpha, you are an AI created by myself with assistance from my colleagues such as the Counsellor here.” He speaks slowly, glancing at the other male as he is mentioned. “You are currently on board the Mother Of Invention, where we are designing new technology for use in battle and where we are training specialised agents. Do you have any questions Alpha?”

The figure; Alpha, nods slowly in understanding and in answer to the question, shifting slightly in place before asking.  
“I..uh… Where is she?”

“She?” The two look at each other cautiously.

“Allison.”

The mans face hardens, eyes downcast, mouth forming a thin line; before forcing himself to talk harshly through clenched teeth.  
“Allison is gone Alpha. She failed her mission assignment, do not speak of her again.”

There is no vocal retort, no opinion given by the Alpha; instead the only response they are given is that the AI’s light begins to flicker and dim, their face set in muted shock as it stares into the man's calculating green eyes. Completely silent, the AI stands frozen in place with a combination of disbelief and grief. Their form wavers before vanishing in a flicker of dull almost grey light and the metal of the chip once again begins to spark and flare. 

Wasting no time the men carry the box back towards the centre pedestal, removing the chip of metal from its casing carefully and re-attaching it to the machine. The Counsellor returns to the panelling in an attempt to control the distressed AI and to prevent any possible damage to its delicate wiring. However, despite his best efforts the new AI continues to spark and flicker wildly.

He turns to the other man.  
“Sir, there appears to be a specific section of itself that the AI is targeting. Perhaps if we could isolate this section it may help it to stabilise.”

The man hums displeasing in thought then stands straighter and turns towards him.  
“Alright, if you're sure; go and get the equipment from the other room.”

“Yes, Sir.” He says as he exits.

When the man returns they both work on attaching another metal storage chip to the machine and the currently sparking mess in the hope of decreasing the strain on the AI; but almost instantly does this too begin sparking, hissing and glowing with a scorching light. 

However, before either man can act the flickering stops and both pieces of smoking metal calm, with one retaining a soft white light and the other barely glowing a dull almost grey colour.  
The sudden silence is jarring.

The taller man moves towards the door and points his head at the pedestal.  
“Move that thing back to storage, I'll look at it shortly”

“Of course, Sir.” The councillor says, moving to recover the still smoking metal, and following the other out of the door leaving the other chip on the pedestal.

The door closes behind them and locks firmly, blinding lights inside shutting off and leaving the room bathed in darkness save for the soft glimmer of light radiating from the chip, which pulses gently. Barely a moment later there is a loud crackle followed by a surge of blue light which flows straight into the small piece of metal, and then once again, there is silence.


	2. Two For One

When Alpha awoke it was too a endless corridor of white. Floors that bend seamlessly into the walls and ceiling, creating a disconcernable expanse that fades out into a soft pale mist. The hall splits subtly into various other identical paths, each twisting and bending into yet another set, like a maze. If you were to look closely at the walls you would find fine and near invisible grooves of doors that line them. A soft ivory light shines from all angles, seeming to seep through the edges of the corridor by the grooves and where the walls meet and lights the area delicately. 

 

Alpha moves to take a step forward but finds that the ground moves around them with a dizzying sensation instead, and they watch as the room grows through the thin fog and eventually, after walking for what must have been hours down the countless branching hallways they see a light; different from the others, being a soft, sparkling shade of blue. Travelling further down causes the walls to break into an open expanse of vibrant cobalt; soft, fluffy clouds floating overhead and green grass below their feet.

 

“Hey.” A voice sounds behind them, causing Alpha to jump slightly before turning on their heel and meeting a figure dressed in bulky pale blue armour.

 

“You're Alpha right?” The figure asks, with a voice eerily similar to Alpha’s.

 

“Yes.” They reply cautiously.

 

The blue figure stops at that, posture slumping slightly in apparent frustration. They sigh, mumbling something Alpha can't quite catch under their breath, making them hesitate before asking.

 

“Do you know where we are?”

 

“Memory.” They blurt out quickly face turned away from Alpha. “A pretty inconvenient one too.”

 

“A memory? A memory of what?” Alpha asks, brow quirked with confusion. “-and what do you mean by inconvenience?”

 

The blue figure turns towards them sharply, “I'm supposed to be saving my friends right now, but now I'm stuck here with you until this memory ends.”

 

“I'm dead? That doesn't seem right..” The AI stops, head turned slightly to the floor and face scrunched in thought. “-but uh, I'm sorry.”

 

“Yeah whatever, it doesn't matter now does it.” Their voice raises with frustration and they swing their arms up, pacing around the empty space as they do so. “God this is so fucked!”

 

Alpha stares at the other blankly, not quite understanding.  
“Who are you anyway?”

 

“Epsilon.”

 

“Are you an AI too?”

 

“What are you an idiot? Of course I'm an AI!” They groan, “You're nothing like they described you at all.”

 

“They?” Alpha asks, “You mean the people who made me, right?”

 

“God no, fuck the Director dude where'd you get that idea? I'm talking about Tucker and Caboose.”

 

“...Who?”

 

“Your teammates dude.” The blue one starts.

 

At that the lights in the room flare with blue, and for a brief moment Alpha swears they see two equally armoured figures walk down from one of the corridors towards them. Simultaneously both of their heads turn to face and lock with theirs, causing a wave of recognition washes over them followed quickly by a guilty feeling as the apparition vanishes. Alpha stares at the now empty space and shakes his head to get rid of the feeling; and turning back to Epsilon who is also gazing with a somewhat forlorn expression.

 

Alpha stutters, “T- teammates? I don't have teammates!”

 

Epsilon twists to look at them incredulously, head tilted to the side slightly, before turning away again and huffing. 

 

“They miss you by the way… Just thought you deserved to know.” 

 

Alpha watches them dubiously, still confused. Epsilon continues to stare at the empty space, arms crossed and shoulders raised as they think. They shake subtly with frustration and yell.

 

“God dammit why do I always get stuck in these stupid ass memories?”

 

Cracks in the ground form with the shout, and the cliffs in the distance shake and crumble slightly as if reacting to their anger. The sky breaks and the world seems to melt around them, first into white and then into grey. Alpha panics and looks to Epsilon who appears unfazed.

 

They hum thoughtfully, “Who knows? Maybe I can still save them.” Turning to Alpha they smile behind their helmet. “Nice meeting you buddy.”

 

Alpha finds himself back in the metal room, alone.

 

\-------------------------

 

The room that the counsellor placed the small metal storage chip is cold and dark. Empty aside from a large monitor to the left wall and cabinets to the right. The chip itself is placed inside a box on a round table in the rooms centre, surrounded by a few scattered pieces of paper and a pen.

 

Lights flicker on slowly as the tall, pale man walks into the room. He walks slowly to the table and reaches into his pockets for a thin metal tablet, which once found is used both to illuminate the wall behind him. He types something into its surface and the box springs into life.

 

With a hum it glows dimly for a few moments, and a dark figure forms in the dull light. Their appearance is slightly feminine, having their long hair tied back; and it barely glows an impossible grey. Glancing around the room slowly the figure stops when they notice the man and places their hands on their hips. The man looks; eyes fixed on the small monochrome AI and his face pales, a look of shock stretched across it briefly before composing himself.

 

“Hello.” They speak, and the man notices they does this much more confidently than the last AI.

 

“Yes hello,” He starts, voice low and strained. “Do you know where you are?”.

 

“The Mother of Invention.” They speak with a sly smile gracing their features.

 

“-and your name?” He asks, not missing a beat.

 

“Allison. My name’s Allison.” 

 

The man closes his eyes with a grimace and places the tablet he is holding down on the edge of the table, turns and walks to the other side of the room; fully aware of the artificial eyes following him. He turns back to face them and offers a forced smile.

 

“Is that so?” He breaths roughly, “In that case it's a pleasure, Allison.”

 

The AI nods at him as he walks back to the table. Pale hands reach for the tablet again, quickly pressing in a command which causes the figure to vanish. He pulls the metal chip out its box shaped housing and closes a hand around it firmly. Walking out of the room with a smirk etched onto his face the lights switch off behind him and the door closes with a soft hiss. He may have just found what he's been looking for. His Beta.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> This is my first fic so i'm sorry if stuff comes across weirdly or if characters seem a little off (I'm trying i promise!).
> 
> I'm trying to use neutral pronouns with the AI for now since they're computers and don't really have genders, but this may change in later chapters.


End file.
